Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Chrysanthemum ajania pacificum cultivar Laika.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum ajania pacificum and referred to by the name xe2x80x98Laikaxe2x80x99.
The new Chrysanthemum is the product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new cultivars of Chrysanthemum ajania pacificum with unique inflorescence forms, attractive ray and disc coloration and little to no pollen.
The new Chrysanthemum originated from a open-pollination made by the Inventor in October, 2000, in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium, of the Chrysanthemum ajania pacificum cultivar Zarros Rose, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unknown Chrysanthemum selection, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single plant within the progeny of the stated open-pollination in a controlled environment in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium.
Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by terminal cuttings in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Laika has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Laikaxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Laikaxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Numerous small inflorescences without ray florets; typically grown as a spray type.
2. Freely branching growth habit.
3. Early flowering response.
4. Good postproduction longevity.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the female parent, the cultivar Zarros Rose. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Zarros Rose in the following characteristics:
1. Natural flowering date for plants of the new Chrysanthemum was about four to five weeks later than natural flowering date for plants of the cultivar Zarros Rose.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had yellow-colored inflorescences whereas plants of the cultivar Zarros Rose had pink-colored inflorescences.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants of the cultivar Silver and Gold, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Silver and Gold in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more rounded than plants of the cultivar Silver and Gold.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and plants of the cultivar Silver and Gold differed in leaf coloration.